Institute of Political Solutions

In line with the regulations in force within the Customs Union of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus, Kazakhstan is supposed to fully shift to producing petrol meeting the Euro-4 and Euro-5 emission standards by January 1, 2016. However, the oil and gas ministry won’t be able to meet the deadline given that the country’s oil refineries are being overhauled.

The resignations and reappointments disturbed the balance of influence of unofficial groups of elite in Kazakhstan. President Nazarbayev’s efforts in the nearest months will be focused on forming new checks and balances inside the inner-elite standoff. It is likely that Nursultan Nazarbayev is interested in strengthening of several influence groups in Kazakhstan. Judging by the recent events, Akhmetov’s Karaganda group has been a priority.

Emergence of several groups of elite vested with certain powers by the President will doubtlessly trigger them into escalating their competition. It is not unlikely that a struggle between the Presidential Administration and the Parliament over control functions will unfold shortly.

Social networks do not spill into the real life and hardly an effective way to draw many people outside for rallies: only only 5 percent of participants of on-line communities are ready to make real contribution into resolution of problems they hotly discuss on the Internet.

Toll roads have long been discussed by the government of Kazakhstan and have long been a concern for the population. They may seem natural to many Westerners and Easterners, but Kazakhstan has never had a toll highways tradition.